Written Answers Wednesday 17 January 2007

Scottish Executive

Children and Young People

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which local child protection committees have developed specific protocols related to the 2003 guidelines on vulnerable children and young people.

Hugh Henry: We understand there are a number of specific protocols but we do not hold this information centrally.

Doctors

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the number of doctors in NHS Forth Valley has increased since (a) 1997 and (b) 1999 and, if so, by how much.

Mr Andy Kerr: The number of doctors in NHS Forth Valley has increased over time, as shown in the following table. The overall picture for Scotland is also given. Latest available data is at 30 September 2005.

  Table 1: Medical Staff1 by Time and NHS Board

  Headcount at 30 September

  

 
 1997
 1999
 2005
Change
1997-2005
Change
1999-2005


 Scotland
 11,734
 12,135
 14,133
 20.4%
 16.5%


 Forth Valley
 511
 526
 627
 22.7%
 19.2%



  Source: ISD Scotland.

  Note: 1 Includes doctors working in General Practice (including performer registrars, performer retainers and performer salaried GPs), Hospital, Community and Public Health Services of the NHS.

  NHSScotland 2006 workforce data will be published by ISD Scotland on 30 January 2007 and will be available at www.isdscotland.org/workforce.

Education

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28275 by Peter Peacock on 26 September 2006, whether the phrase "essential pre-requisite" refers to a legal requirement, a requirement of Executive policy, or a matter of good practice.

Hugh Henry: It refers to a matter of good practice.

Education

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-29157 by Peter Peacock on 14 November 2006, what specific support and expert advice is offered to schools on securing sustained improvement; whether schools and education authorities have the flexibility to internally divert all resources allocated to them; from which school departments can resources can be internally diverted; what the impact of internal diversion is on other areas, and what further external resources are available to secure sustained improvement.

Hugh Henry: A wide range of materials and expert guidance supporting improvement is made available by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) and Learning and Teaching Scotland.

  The specific support and expert advice offered to schools will be dependent on the circumstances of the school and local authority in question. In appropriate cases, HMIE inspectors will monitor the measures taken by schools and by local authorities to address weaknesses highlighted in their inspection reports.

  Guidance was issued to local authorities on devolved school management in February 2006 and it is for them to determine what is included in their schemes. However, everything that can reasonably be devolved to head teachers should be, and certainly up to 90% of relevant budgets, in line with our Partnership Agreement commitment.

Fire Service

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has given to Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service in respect of fire service college courses in (a) 2002, (b) 2003 and (c) 2004.

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is currently available to Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service in respect of fire service college courses.

Johann Lamont: Funding for training is not specifically identified within Fire and Rescue Service running costs. The amount spent on training is a matter for the Chief Fire Officer. The vast majority of the costs of courses provided at the Scottish Fire Services College are met from a Fire Central Government programme controlled directly by the Executive.

Land Ownership

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28342 by Patricia Ferguson on 9 September 2002, whether it will list any feudal superiorities in Scotland owned by Prince Charles, Duke of Rothes, in his role as the Prince and Steward of Scotland, as referred to in Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998.

Johann Lamont: The feudal system of land tenure in Scotland was brought to an end on 28 November 2004 when the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 was fully brought into force. On that date, all superiority interests in land were extinguished. Section 58 of the Act applies the provisions in the act to The Crown and the Prince and Steward of Scotland. Therefore, the Prince and Steward of Scotland does not now own any feudal superiorities.

Marine Environment

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that the Department of Trade and Industry’s Appropriate Assessment of the 24th Oil and Gas Licensing Round will ensure that oil licensing adjacent to the Moray Firth Special Area of Conservation will not be in breach of the EU Habitats Directive and what representations it has made on the matter.

Allan Wilson: In accordance with Article 6 of the Habitats Directive, the Department for Trade and Industry as the competent authority, must satisfy themselves that any exploration licence issued under the 24th licensing round will not have an adverse effect on the integrity of any European Site, including the Moray Firth Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The Scottish Executive has been kept fully informed.

  Article 6 (3) of the Habitats Directive requires that "any plan or project not directly connected with or necessary to the management of a site but likely to have a significant effect thereon either individually or in combination with other plans or projects, shall be subject to an appropriate assessment of its implications for the site." As the consenting authority, the DTI have undertaken an appropriate assessment which was published (in draft) on their website in October 2006. The assessment concluded that the 24th licensing round will not have an adverse effect on the integrity of any European Site (SPA or SAC), and therefore there is no obligation under the Habitats Directive or any other enabling legislation to withhold consent for the 24th Licensing Round.

Prison Service

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-29451 by Malcolm Chisholm on 17 November 2006, whether it has now received the inquiry reporter’s report and, if so, what plans it has in respect of the future use of HM Prison Low Moss.

Des McNulty: The inquiry reporter’s public local inquiry report into a proposal to erect a new prison at HM Prison Low Moss, Bishopbriggs has been received by Scottish ministers. Following very careful consideration of the report and the recommendation contained therein Scottish ministers intimated on 22 December 2006 their intention to grant outline planning permission, subject to conditions and the satisfactory conclusion of an agreement under section 75 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997.

School Meals

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the additional annual cost would be of providing free school meals to every (a) nursery, (b) primary and (c) secondary school pupil.

Hugh Henry: We do not hold estimates of the total additional cost of providing all nursery pupils with free school meals.

  The additional annual cost of providing all primary school pupils and all secondary school pupils with a free school meal is estimated at between £51 million to £97 million and £46 million to £82 million respectively.

Schools

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to issue guidance to schools on the use of biometric systems such as fingerprinting.

Hugh Henry: We have no plans to issue guidance to schools on the use of biometric systems.